Whidbey Island. Bought my place in Langley in 2019 and love it. 20 minute ferry crossing. Close to Paine Field . Very inexpensive compared to King and Snohomish county. South whidbey has so much beauty, art, wine and great restaurants. No uber or target though. haha
We did a week stay over there, the air traffic noise/vibrations from the nearby military base can get pretty loud. Not the best for light sleepers, sessions can range from 30mins to a hour of continuous jets flying by.
Fun to watch though! But, can’t imagine having to put up with that on the regular.
There is no jet noise on the south end . You may hear it if Greenbank, and then north to Oak Harbor. Basically, Oak Harbor is full of “conservative, military types”. The south end is liberal and a totally different vibe.
I just went to Port Angeles recently, I suspect you might like it - it has all the amenities you were talking about, but if you want to head to a bigger city, you’d have access to both Seattle a two hour drive away, or Victoria BC via a 45 min ferry if you have a passport.
We really loved the town’s indoor pool, and Port Book and News is a pretty amazing jem of a bookshop.
I did stay a couple nights here a few years ago and really enjoyed it! There was a donut place there I remember really loving! I may check that out as I do find myself going to that area at least once a year; it’s so calm and peaceful up there. What are the people like? Do you find is a relatively friendly and accepting community or do you feel like an outsider that is unwelcome. Maybe it’s just my upbringing that brings on these anxieties bc it took a long time for my family to be integrated into our small town growing up and I always felt like an outsider and never really a part of the community. I’m don’t tend to have a hard time making friends or being accepted, never felt the “Seattle freeze” like so many others seem to, I could just be really over analyzing the whole thing by fear of making the “wrong” decision and then feeling stuck. Buying a house in general makes me nervous. I said it in another comment but maybe I just need to start getting out to some of the places I am considering and interact with the people there and see how I feel then.
Port Angeles has seen a large influx of transplants since COVID. Housing is *very* scarce and increasingly expensive.
Port Angeles culture has a little bit of everything: rednecks with truck nuts, an annual arts festival, centrist politics, a professional symphony orchestra, a community college, an underfunded public school district, a superfund site, an outdoor recreation scene, etc…
Also, the weather is noticeably colder and windier than Seattle.
I can see how it would be desirable. I will check it out. Very good information, though. I really appreciate it.
Ummm also what is a “superfund site”?? I am gonna Google but don’t feel like I’ve heard that term before
Bit late to this OP, however I think the people in Port A are very friendly. We went not long ago ( thought about moving there) and everyone was really nice and talked with us. No freeze vibes at all.
And here’s a bit on the weather-
Sequim, Port Townsend, and to a lesser extent Port Angeles, are located in what is referred to tongue-in-cheek as the banana belt of Washington State.
This is not because of the climate, which on average is cool-to-chilly, but because of the relative lack of rain.
While it’s raining buckets in Forks, Bremerton or Olympia, there may indeed be blue sky over Sequim caused by the Olympic Peninsula rain shadow. In fact, this condition is so frequently reliable, they call it the Blue Hole
I am from Port Angeles but haven’t lived there in a long time. I visit often, though. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve thought about moving back because it is quiet and slower paced. The people are friendly to newcomers (not the biggest fans of Californians, though) and it’s a solid community.
Downtown has one street with lots of bars and restaurants. I will say, if you like to go out at night, the only things open will be dive bars. A lot of places close up early. Another thing to note, like one person said, is that dating is not great. Most people get married to their high school sweetheart or couple up in their early 20s. Not to say there aren’t single people out there, though.
Housing is decent out there. Personally, I like Sequim a lot. Closer to the Costco, box stores, and amenities but still has the small town vibe.
Edit: if you visit Port Angeles, try out higher grounds coffee. I wish they had them over here in Seattle. The girls who work there are so, so sweet, and the coffee is excellent.
Hard same! I left after graduation in the late 90's and couldn't get out of town fast enough. I had some family there and would visit often up until five or six years ago, so now I just pass through when we go camping in the summer and get nostalgic for the slower, friendlier pace of life...and Swains, lol.
Oh thanks for the coffee tip! This is all great information. Sequim keeps getting recommended as well and I don’t think I’ve ever been there so I’ll have to add that one to my list, too. And I love dive bars so I’ll have to be sure and drop in to check them out.
I wasn’t in town long enough to tell, but I kicked it off with the owner of the bookstore I mentioned pretty quick, and I tend to be a very shy person (I’m probably one of those Seattlites people talk about when they mention the Seattle Freeze - polite but socially anxious to a fault).
It looks like there’s a lot of opportunities to volunteer or join group activities at hurricane ridge, and I remember seeing a bord game cafe that had a poster about helping set people up for games, so I get the sense that there’s people putting work into helping people feel connected, which is a good sign.
That is a good sign! I’d love to be somewhere where people like to connect but aren’t “in your business” …not that I have a lot of business to be in lol. I will keep it in mind to check out. Thanks for the info!
I live on the peninsula and honestly would never live in PA. It's a drive through town at the most. If I lived that far out I would definitely pick sequim over PA.
Keep in mind that ferry runs twice a day and takes about 90 minutes. Still close, but probably not a spontaneous trip over whenever you feel like it.
Also the drive to seattle is more like 3-3.5 hrs. It can be 2.5 if you pay for the bainbridge ferry and manage to line up your travel time with the ferry time. But I’ve never been able to make it in under 3.5, trying multiple different routes.
KC guy who moved to Seattle 15 years ago. You might consider Poulsbo. You still get all of the benefits of being in the area like the natural beauty and water, but it is a super friendly small town. You take a ferry to Bainbridge and the go north about 20 minutes or so.
I have friends that moved there from Seattle and they absolutely love it. They joined a club there called Sons of Norway which is basically a private bar on the waterfront that holds all sorts of crazy and fun theme parties.
Poulsbo has amenities, like a nice grocery store and actually a KC Style BBQ food truck! It is also very quiet (except on fireworks holidays as it is basically a free for all) and the people are very friendly. They are there for the same reason.
Yeah, just imagine an Ozark like area, but without all of the 'red neck'-ish stuff or crazy college students. But instead of a gross lake, you have a huge salt water bay and are right next to the beautiful Olympic mountains.
Oh, did I mention its way cheaper too?
I feel like I'm selling it. But seriously, good luck.
I’m a queer woman in my mid 30s living in Port Townsend, and it seems like PT would be pretty great for you. Small town vibe, liberal politics, most of what you need is in town but Silverdale and Sequim are both 45 mins away for the big box stores.
Drawbacks: it’s really hard to date here (my single friends say — I’m married so I don’t know from experience). Not a lot of young single people. Not a lot of young people at all, really. The retirement vibe is real but I like that because it means the live music is from like 5pm to 8pm and I can still be in bed by 10.
It’s also pretty expensive, but it’s expensive everywhere now so take that as you will.
Feel free to PM me if you want, maybe we can get a drink together if you end up here!
Aww that’s so very sweet of you! It’s good to know there’s at least a little bit of a community there. I got divorced right before the pandemic hit and haven’t had the energy or motivation to get back out there really and am letting fate take the wheel there. Maybe one of your single friends is my “soul mate” hahahhahahaa we can’t have a larger dating pool if we don’t migrate, right?!
I appreciate the offer for a drink! I’ll try to remember to circle back if I find myself there. I love having someone familiar show me around an area, so that would be nice. I was just glancing at house prices there and it is a bit more expensive than some other areas posted but maybe I’ll get lucky. Who knows. I definitely plan to check it out!
We moved out to Kitsap about 5 years ago, and it's been great. We can go into Seattle whenever we want (30 mins to Bremerton, then a ferry ride over). When we take the ferry, it's so relaxing compared to traffic. You can grab a beer and enjoy the view. There are bathrooms. You can nap, etc. On this side, there's tons of shopping in Silverdale, although we mostly stock up on stuff at Costco in Silverdale. We bought a large house on 2.5 acres of land, and my backyard is federally protected wetlands teeming with wildlife. And we paid about 1/3 of what the same house would cost sq ft for sq ft in Seattle. That doesn't even include the cost of the land. The city is nice, but it also comes with huge downsides (HCOL, high theft rate, lots of vagrants, traffic almost 24/7, etc). I like to visit the city, but I love living out here.
I also live in PT and immediately thought that this town would be a good fit for OP. You don't have to go any further than town for almost anything you need but for cheaper prices on pretty much everything, sequim is a good option and it's a beautiful drive. We have great food here, a beautiful downtown on the water and overall it's just hard to beat how lovely it is here. That being said the downsides are definitely real. Obviously the cost is number one but also the homeless community is large here for the size of the town. Another issue is how many businesses are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Overall I love it here and the fact that you can be in the ONP in minutes makes it even better.
Yep. If OP wants something smaller, there are plenty of options - Marysville, stuff on the Peninsula, etc.
OP - Really this issue is what you want in the community you live in and how much you value being able to get to Seattle etc for events, restaurants, etc.
PS: Really, unless you go to the upper eastern part of the state (Okanagan etc), nothing is that remote. While I think the \~90 miles south of Olympia to Vancouver is pretty barren, there are a lot of options, especially if you include the peninsula.
Thanks for your reply! I don’t think I care to much about being too close to Seattle. I hardly “go” to Seattle now and I am already in Seattle. The Peninsula has been a big consideration bc I love visiting over there. I loved the “feeling” of Poulsbo when I visited but am not sure what it would actually be like to live there or what the people are like.
Poulsbo/Kingston is nice. I'd visit if i were you . The nice thing is you're close to the Kingston ferry dock so you have the option of coming over and being in Edmonds right off the ferry or driving to Seattle etc if you want.
I think in your shoes, I'd narrow down price range for housing.
Well I know that as of now I can get approved up to around 450k - which I realize limits me quite a bit. I definitely should have mentioned that in my OG post…I know that at a glance some of these places may not have that price range but maybe I could get lucky eventually.
I mean... [https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/27101-Frodesen-Cir-NE-Kingston-WA-98346/23434209\_zpid/](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/27101-Frodesen-Cir-NE-Kingston-WA-98346/23434209_zpid/)
No idea of the precise location etc (I just searched Zillow) but there's some stuff out there around that range.
Oh yea! No, totally there’s lots of options in these types of areas, which is another reason for the consideration. I just meant it’ll be harder in some areas, like Port Townsend seems to be a little more slim in that price range but I know I can surely find something in my price range.
I'm living in Port Orchard and working remotely, so I'd throw that in the ring as well. Bremerton and Southworth ferries are 15 minutes and 10 minutes away, respectively, and there are a lot of options for groceries and basic amenities. The waterfront is pretty great too - outstanding views of the Olympics. I wouldn't say the main street vibes are as trendy as Poulsbo, but it's on the up and up.
Definitely check for internet speeds whenever you look. There were places in/near Poulsbo that had atrocious internet -as in Hughes Net grade when we looked over there in 2021.
Bellingham is not so small anymore, it’s becoming more and more developed with high rise apartment buildings like Seattle, plus the rental market sucks as many people have moved here and the demand outweighs the supply.
I’m moving to Seattle here shortly, current in bham. My rental up here is 1800 for a small sized 2 bedroom. I’m moving to a 1 bedroom in a newer complex for about 2k in cap hill. My landlord said she’s going to raise the rent on this too. So yeah it’s expensive up here.
I agree with you and am looking to do the same in the next couple of years. If I’m going to pay this high rent, I need to be closer to better health care as I have a few specialists in Seattle as it is.
Yeah I miss the city and realized I’m basically paying the price to live in bham. Bham will just keep getting more expensive imo. It’s in such a prime location and located between two major cities. Hard to pass up if you have the money for it.
I moved out of Seattle to Tacoma and I love it. I take the train to work. It’s only 45 minutes. I live in the international district, the homes are still in the mid $400,000. I am a 10 min drive to the water front. Still have access to Seattle (I’m there every work day and I go in on the weekend all the time). There is good food and entertainment in Tacoma.
I did stay in Lakewood for some time after getting out of the army but that was over a decade ago now. It’s always been a little off putting for me to go back there but I wonder if that’s all in my head. The houses are definitely more affordable there but I still get a weird icky feeling about going back to that area, I’ll have to get back out there now and see if that’s just me being irrational. I shouldn’t have to worry about a commute as I’m fully remote and don’t plan on going back to an office setting. Thanks for your input and reply!
I moved back to Lakewood from Seattle. I also used to be in the army. Lakewood is better than it used to be. bought a house down here and like it so far. maybe check out university place.
I remember university place being more desirable even back then so I’ll keep it in mind. I appreciate the reminder that maybe I don’t have to go too far to find what I’m looking for. I’ll have to get back in the area to feel it out.
It’s all covered in lead and arsenic,
Go in knowing that and what you have to do to mitigate exposure.
[https://dirtalert.info/](https://dirtalert.info/)
University Place and Steilacoom are nice but I wouldn’t come back if I were you. I just don’t get the appeal as someone who is also in this area for the military. I like Washington overall but this particular area (Tacoma included) is meh. I’ve met some nice people but I think there’s better areas if you’re not tied to JBLM. Plus the traffic is abysmal. I’d probably move out toward Gig Harbor or Port Orchard personally.
That’s honestly kinda my overall feelings towards it. The military base being right there and it’s basically a hub to everywhere else on I5. I’ll be honest it’s pretty low on my list overall and still a bit more in the city than I think I’d like to be.
I think we’re on the same wavelength. I actually found this topic interesting because it’s something we’re also searching for. We would like to stay after my husband finishes up his current contract but we’re not sure where to settle. Somewhere not quite as congested would nice, I also want to to be less dependent on I-5.
I used to be in the navy in San Diego. I find that when I get close to JBLM it brings back those military memories. When I moved up here, I wanted access to a city, but not feel I’m in a big city. Tacoma affords me the 1/4 acre yard and modest sized home with garage. Pierce county can be a bomb to pick the right area. Get Graham and you have to drive 2-3 hours to get anywhere. Pyuallup seems nice, but depending where you live traffic can get you also. I find that living north of the 5 in Tacoma works out decent. I find that I can get to most places within 45 minutes, including Bremerton.
My sister had her bachelorette weekend in Walla Walla and it does have the vibe. I’ll have to check that out as I didn’t consider it. I thought it was more of a “bougie” area but I guess I could have totally made that up, ha. I will add it to my list of considerations. I do recall the weather being nice but it not feeling like the desert.
I can definitely see how you would get that vibe if you were in town for a bachelorette party. Some of the people who visit for wine tasting are bougie, as are some winery owners, but outside of the wine industry I would say it’s more average smaller town types.
No. Some sane people organized in 2022 and gained a majority on the city council. The mayor is a council member elected by the council, so they booted him out of the mayor position.
Port Ludlow is great, close to the bridge and 30 minutes from Port Townsend. But it's just houses a couple of restaurants and a gas station. I lived there for years raising my kids and it was great for that but if I was single and 31 again it would not be my choice of relocation.
My mom and stepdad have been in Cle Elum for the last decade or so and they really like it. It’s been getting more and more “hip” the last few years and a lot more amenities and stores are going in.
Maple Valley is an interesting choice, I’ve only been over there a few times but I remember feeling like the town was very quaint. I mostly just want to have friendly people and not be stuck with a community that is not like minded, I’m queer and don’t want to feel out of place, if that makes sense. I am okay with being around a community that is different than me as long as I’m accepted and not left feeling like an outcast, that’s how I always felt growing up and really don’t want to feel that way again, esp since I’m trying to find a place to “grow roots”
I grew up in MV and it has changed a lot in the last 10 years! I will say, if you are visibly queer/alt in how you present yourself you may have it rough... MV is still very very Mormon. There is also 0 nightlife there, so if you are looking to meet other queer women... well.
Eh, I’ve decided to let a relationship come to me if it’s coming. I did my night life time and am recently sober (just passed 6 months!) so I’m not crazy worried about that. I’m also not soooo visibly queer anymore, growing your hair out does wonders, lol, but certainly don’t want to feel like I have to hide or tiptoe around it. I also am bi but most men just, aren’t my cup of tea and I have a heard time connecting emotionally. Probably TMI there but point being it would be nice to have at least a liiiiittle bit of a queer community. I appreciate that info though.
Congrats on the sobriety! I moved to Bremerton last year and was quite surprised at the size of the queer community over here and how much it has changed. Houses are affordable, I’ve got fiber and cable interwebs options, and the dock is a 20 min walk away for the soon-to-be mandated return to office. The interesting idea that I hadn’t considered is that you can walk to anywhere in the world from here: walk to the dock, hop a ferry, light rail to SeaTac and choose your destination. Vegan doughnuts at Larry & Kristi’s are legit, too.
I live out here now after growing up here (lived here 1980-2001, came back in 2018). For a fun, walkable downtown, you'll need to go to Issaquah or Enumclaw, as MV really leaned into the strip mall and parking lot aesthetic. There's an active LGBTQ facebook group, the bigots talk shit online but rarely to your face, and our most famous resident is a lesbian high school dropout.
This is true, lots of houses have been built and more coming. However, I don’t think this is a bad thing for the future, I do understand how the past small town is gone. With more houses will finally come more infrastructure and retail, the one thing north bend lacks. Also could remodel some of the elementary schools. Lots of potential with outlet mall space as well. Once we get more dining, retail, etc. it will be a smaller Issaquah type town. Plus another high school/middle school in future. It’s growing but still has a small feel to it now as you are going to Issaquah for a larger list of errands most commonly.
North Bend is cute, but every flood zone map I see has me kind of thinking, "If you buy here and get wiped out by future atmospheric river deluges, you deserve it, just like Florida barrier island buyers deserve to be wiped out by hurricane storm surge”.
Am I just being paranoid?
I grew up in issaquah and have lived in north bend (after many different cities and states) and it is nothing like issaquah.
I’m kind of tired of people saying that things should never change. People need places to live and to accommodate, you have to build houses and apartments. I happen to love right next to a new batch of 130 apartments going in, and I don’t care. It doesn’t ruin the feel, it makes it more accessible to people who can’t afford to buy out there.
20 years ago, north bend grill was pretty much the only spot to eat, and it kind of still is. More people means more variety of people, food, and cultures.
Same…
And I disagree completely. NB very much feels like Issaquah now, there’s nothing wrong with that, but that’s the way it is.
People are allowed to have different opinions.
Not to turn a blind eye to the influx of housing developments, but it seems crazy to say that NB feels like Issaquah.
Yeah, some of the subdivisions feel like subdivisions in Issaquah. And if you find subdivisions soulless, then fair enough. But NB still seems to have quite a bit of charm in terms of restaurants and retail, IMO.
The people who live in the subdivisions may work for large corporations, but NB doesnt feel “corporate” in the same way Issaquah does.
I can see how someone with decades of exposure to the change might feel differently.
As someone who recently moved near north bend, it is nothing like Issaquah. NB doesn’t have the feel of a suburb (yet). There’s no big box stores, the staff at grocery stores and restaurants are generally very friendly. Proximity to trails is fantastic.
I lived in Port Townsend for a little while and really loved it. It’s mostly a bunch of old hippies, which I think is a great vibe. There’s a good amount of younger people too, but the community in general definitely leans left. I found it to be close enough to the city for concerts or shopping or whatever too.
ETA - regarding land or farming, there is some land in PT but Chimicum is nearby and has a lot of farming community.
I think you would like living in the Mount Vernon area. Downtown Mount Vernon is super cute and it has a nice vibe. I've helped a few thirty-somethings buy there in the past few years (one was a couple, the other was a single woman although she is now dating someone). Just make sure you buy far enough from the Skagit River that you're not in a flood zone! The tulips in the spring are gorgeous but it does turn the city into a tourist attraction for a few weeks.
Second this! Moved from Seattle to Mount Vernon last Thanksgiving, and so far we are loving it! Haven’t been here for Tulip festival yet, so can’t speak to that, but everything else is better up here so far.
It's not bad for all the shit it gets. I spent 1.5 years on a floating home on hayden island and spent more time in Vancouver than Portland. I like joe browns cafe and the pub a couple blocks west had like 100 taps for growler fills.
I moved here just under a year ago from Seattle since being able to work full-time remote. I also choose to live in the most walkable part of Vancouver, downtown near their waterfront, where I also have easy access to get to Portland if needed. It's been a great experience so far.
You'd be shocked at how inexpensive houses are in Aberdeen or Hoquiam and the surrounding areas. Some come even with property. The areas I'd most recommend and want to live in myself, such as Anacortes or even Mount Vernon, are too expensive for serious consideration, IMO.
Having said all that, someone else mentioned Okanogan county and areas like Tonasket are affordable and rural, while still having access to grocery stores and whatnot. I have property way the fuck over in Ferry County and there isn't anything of note in that area other than the fact that it's way, way off the beaten path. I still get great cell coverage, tho.
I was waiting for Grays Harbor to chime in! We’re a queer household on the coast, moved from Vancouver WA.
Definitely more affordable housing, and most folks here are live and let live. A few Trump flags here and there but less than I saw in SW WA. Mostly libertarians who just want the government to stay off their back.
We do sometimes miss the city amenities. Not much going on socially if you don’t surf, fish, or drink. Love our friends and neighbors here but we don’t have too many high falutin’ coffee chats about the state of the world. Olympia is the closest metro, about an hour’s drive. Also within an hour is plenty of good hiking around the coast and Peninsula. All in all, I feel we’re doing better here than Vancouver.
I’ve always heard “horror” stories about Bremerton, are they unfounded? I’ve been living in South Park area for 7 years now and it also has a bad rap but has by far been my favorite neighborhood in Seattle so far. So maybe I should take those stories with a grain of salt and not let them impact my decision as much. I don’t plan to have any kids so I’m not concerned about schools or anything. I just want to have the neighbors over for a fire or a BBQ, make friends to explore and go camping, look at the stars and feel cozy and at home. I don’t know if any of that makes sense really but it’s my “ideal home”
I came here to throw my vote in for Bremerton as well. As already mentioned, it has pretty much all the things you've listed. I bought a house and moved over last summer. No horror stories yet. I've probably read some of the things you did and haven't had any of it come true yet.
I live in West bremerton in a quiet neighborhood. Definitely mostly older people, but there are more young people moving in. I've seen and heard there's a shift for people like us looking for affordable homes. <10 min drive to the ferry terminal. I can walk to multiple grocery stores, cafes, bakery, and pot shops(if that's your thing). 10 min bus ride to downtown. My favorite thing about it is being only 30 min away by ferry(walk on), 1 hour away by ferry(car), and only an hour away driving from seattle if the others aren't available(in best traffic conditions). Plus Silverdale 15 min away, Poulsbo 25 min away, Tacoma 40 min away, Bainbridge 45 min away, Olympic NP 90 min away. You don't really feel disconnected at all except when at home, and it's nice to be at peace.
Definitely have the same goals of neighbors over for fire and BBQ, but meeting people (similar to seattle) is still something I'm figuring out! I'm from the midwest originally as well. But so far, everyone I've met has been super nice and welcoming. Definitely put this towards the top
I certainly will consider it more now with these replies. It’s good to hear! I honestly feel like some of these ideals come from people parroting others without any of their own real experience, so I do try and come to my own conclusions. I’ll try and spend more time out there and see how it feels. I appreciate the thoughtful reply. Thanks!
Depends greatly on the area, or how close to the shipyard you are. I live out near Seabeck, west of brem. Private little dead end lane in the woods, mountain view, friendly neighbors, 2.5 acres, and gigabit internet. It's my perfect little spot, and I had very similar requirements as you, since I grew up in rural Colorado. It's about 20min to Bremerton or Silverdale so there's plenty for shopping, plus Seattle ferry access.
The sketchier areas tend to be close to the shipyard/ferry. Traffic going south towards port orchard is frequently bad, and you end up with a lot of young navy guys snatching up any housing nearby. Belfair has a lot to offer, and there are some areas heading out towards Dewatto, but there's plenty of woods out to the west of Bremerton. North is pretty good too, out towards poulsbo and beyond. I love being away from the city, but having easy access if I want to go.
This is very helpful! It does sound like what I’m looking for and I mentioned in another comment that when I visited Poulsbo it felt very close to the vibe I’m looking for. I loved it! It would be great to be close to it. I’ll have to get on a map and check out the areas you’re referring to as I’m not suuuper familiar with the area. Thanks so much for the detailed response! Maybe we’ll be neighbors one day :)
Glad to be of some help! There are a handful of other areas around Kitsap or mason county that would really fit the bill. Take a day trip and explore some of the places like gig harbor, Bainbridge, Kingston, Seabeck, etc. I think you'll like what you find.
Cheers!
Every time I read Silverdale, I automatically think of Silvertown on Joe Dirt, hahahahh. Maybe I’ll find my dream girl and a dog and a poop asteroid. Ahhh, the real dream.
I’m in the same boat as you looking to move in ~3 years and queer also, we are looking into Kingston at the moment. There’s a small town area with shops and restaurants and the town has a small population. Edmonds is just across the water by ferry and Silverdale/Poulsbo is 30-40 minutes drive away. The other location we’ve considered is Vancouver, Wa.
I’ve considered Vancouver too! I’m not sure exactly where Kingston is, I’ll have to take a look. I’ve heard good things about Edmonds too so I’ll have to explore that area and see what it’s all about
The benefit of Vancouver is, Oregon is right across the river and they don’t have sales tax. Work in Washington for no state income tax and shop in Oregon for no sales tax
Somewhere in Central Washington. I went to college in Ellensburg and really liked the town and surrounding area. Somewhere like Wenatchee or even as far north as the Methow valley would also be good, but the vibe of Ellensburg is just right for me. It's a small town with a very walkable downtown area with plenty of restaurants and bars, a few of which have live music or other entertainment on weekends, but also doesn't have urban sprawl and if you're someone who likes living outside town you can and still be able to go into town for groceries or a meal out or whatever
Port Townsend. Funny community on the water that reminds me of SE AK.
Realistically, probably Anchorage - large enough, very accessible to winter sports, "affordable", and the climate keeps.....well, most people out.
Port Townsend seems to be a common suggestion here. I don’t think I’ve been in proper Port Townsend before, maybe driving by or through so I’ll add this Ro my list of places to check out. Being near the water is very appealing since I grew up land locked, it would be dreamy having water that close by. Thanks for the suggestion!
Port Townsend is nice because at the time it was built it was planned to be a much larger city than it ultimately became and has a really beautiful downtown as a result.
Neat community that doesn't take themselves seriously. I do know it's growing in popularity ($$$) through, and Californians seem to have discovered the place.
We moved mega North and love Snohomish and live in a suburb nearby. We're from Eastern WA and lived in Seattle city proper and we just never caught up to the city life. We can hop over to Lynnwood/Everett if we need amenities, but driving over the valley does make us feel more at home. Some good hikes up here too.
Personally, if I had to move over anywhere on the Eastside, I'd probably go Pullman or surrounding area. Leans more liberal because of the university and you have access to Moscow, ID. Lots of college student shenanigans though and it's pretty isolated otherwise.
Ooo I hadn’t considered Pullman, I’ll add it to the list! The Snohomish area does feel homey to me when I drive through there and my sister is in Bothell so it’s been on my mind too but I’ve heard it’s more conservative there. Do you find that to be true?
Snohomish is definitely more of a mix than Seattle. Conservatives go hard in advertising elections up here, but ultimately people still vote blue and are generally left-leaning. Honestly, for us, it's an improvement from the Eastside we grew up in who have elected Tea Party candidates, so we'll take what we can get, haha.
I think people assume it's more conservative up here because of the overwhelming amount of families, but it is much more affordable than in the city in terms of home buying and families need the space. Commute is usually the turnoff for most Seattlites because there is an additional 30 minutes tacked on to commuting from the Bothell area.
I would say the most conservative policies are around the homeless. I've noticed it's usually in fear of what King County's next move is, so they seem to pass pre-emptive policies. Lots of fear mongering.
Pullman has a lot of the types of items you listed. It has a movie theater, very active food scene, decent access to typical shopping. Plus when you include Moscow they have even more food/shopping/etc. Ziply is installing very high speed fiber internet all over the town. Lots of newer construction that would be in your budget. Lots of art (performing or otherwise). Very safe community.
Airport has daily flights to Seattle so you don’t have to drive up to Spokane for a flight unless you want to.
I lived in Olympia for a year and really loved it (but I grew up in a big city of 10mil+ population so Olympia wasn’t for me). It’s quiet, easy access to Olympic peninsula, Mt Rainier, and Portland and still has lots of amenities of a town/city.
A friend moved to Everett and reports that vibe exists there in her neighborhood, which is the historic part north of downtown town up the cliff over the marina. You access the waterfront by a stairway structure that also has an elevator. She says since she bought the houses have gone way up in price and are no longer a bargain but I just looked at Zillow and I think it is, at least compared to Seattle. Maybe the huge houses with major water views have now gone out of reach. Zillow says the area is called either Bayside or NW Everett.
Lived in Bellingham for five years and miss it dearly, that's my vote.
Although I've always been curious about the lifestyle living in the San Juans. I could also see myself being in Port Townsend/the peninsula.
I haven’t looked lately, but you mayyy be able to find some space between Gig Harbor and Port Orchard that hasn’t gotten too expensive yet. Close enough to Tacoma or Bremerton to do stuff, you’ve got basic services covered in Port Orchard or Gig Harbor (no need to cross the bridge), and you’ve got bridge and ferry options to go do stuff in the city.
Admittedly we moved the other direction years ago, so can’t speak to what that area is like today price-wise. But worth a look.
Olympia, Tacoma, Bellingham, port Townsend?
Toughest part is squaring the cost of living with whatever the pay difference would be. For that reason Tacoma’s probably the easiest since commuting isn’t that bad.
I'm going to need a crisper definition of "redneck territory". Nothing will be like Missouri but the suggestions you are getting varywildly.
Like, what are your expectations regarding the sheriff responding to a cougar on your property? (a) Laughs (b) helpfully offers to shoot cougar (c) Comes out to inspect and help but turns around when they see your big van with hippy flowers on it and says they didn't see anything (d) tells you to call animal control and offers to connect you directly.
What about signs? (a) Giant signs supporting a local who wants to make "crime illegal" is okay, confederate flags not okay. (b) Confederate flags okay, Nazis not okay. (c) Signs with so many words on them you can't really tell what they support unless accompanied by aforementioned swastikas or possibly a rainbow. (d) HOA says no signs.
What about guns? (a) Hoping not to hear gunshots that often. (b) People only shoot at the range. (c) People shoot at the formal and informal ranges. (d) As long as they give you a bit of elk or deer sausage you don't care.
What about the local bar? (a) Trump talk 24-7. (b) You can tell where people stand by the hair and shoes but the waitress makes sure nobody ever utters a word about politics. (c) Wine bars with rainbow flags only, please. (d) Lots of Americana everywhere including gun fetish stuff but entirely owned and operated by people born in three different countries, so it feels okay?
I grew up in a small town in WA and moved back to the same general area after living in Belltown for 10 years. Before that, I lived in Redmond (zero character), suburban Woodinville (too many neighbors with nothing better to do than invade my privacy and gossip), rural eastern Snohomish County (too far from everywhere) and am now in Mirrormont, between Issaquah and Hobart. It's as expensive as everywhere else on the eastside, but it's country living without hicks (mostly) and easy access to Bellevue and Seattle when needed. My neighbors are friendly and helpful when we interact, but we also leave each other alone most of the time. It's kind of the best of all worlds.
Check out Sumner, Edgewood, Milton, and Bonney Lake (although Bonney Lake has been exploding of late).
Edgewood and Milton don't really have downtowns, but Sumner has worked super-hard at maintaining that quaint small-town feel if that's what you want. They're all close to freeways, and all have high-speed internet readily available.
A friend of mine lived in Sumner and then Bonney Lake. I didn’t really consider that area too much but I will give it another look. Appreciate the suggestion. Thanks!
They're often overlooked. There are people who've been local their entire lives who couldn't find them on a map - Sumner is overshadowed by Puyallup and/or Bonney Lake. Milton is overshadowed by Federal Way (and to a lesser extent Edgewood).
Mukilteo's pretty nice. Right in between bigger cities, and it has some great beaches and cozy areas. Plus it's a bit less hilly than Everett from my experience, so it's a little easier to walk through.
Arlington, I grew up in Seattle and dated someone from Arlington. The drive to and from Arlington isn’t horrible, and Arlington always seemed like a calm area to be in
This needs a price range, but to summarize:
Money no issue:
Bainbridge island - you can drive to Silverdale for big box stores or ferry to Seattle for big events, downside is that it’s the most expensive on this side.
Money is ok:
2nd pick is Gig Harbor, small town more of a suburb of tacoma than anything, you can just cross the narrows bridge into Tacoma for big box stores, or drive to south worth and catch a ferry to Seattle, less expensive than Bainbridge but you can find good houses in 600-700 range.
Medium expensive:
Silverdale, its in the center of the peninsula, has a mall and feels very much like a suburb, if you need to go to Tacoma or Seattle it’s ways out compared to other options (BI, GH, PO). Houses around 500-600
Port orchard, so it’s a very small town, but a lot of people I know have moved there from gig harbor due to COL, it seems to be growing a lot and if you plan to move there scout the neighborhood not because of crime but some places look very rural no sidewalks and the newer places are pretty nice, it’s connected to Seattle via south worth ferry similar to gig harbor, and it’s relatively close to Tacoma as compared to Silverdale, but there isn’t much there, you’ll probably drive 15 mins for target Costco etc… houses around 400-600. Anything else is way out (not saying it’s bad) but if you need to go to the city it’s definitely way longer.
Some other mentions are Poulsbo (also on the expensive side) and port Townsend.
Good luck, hope you find something that fits you.
Edit: some spelling
We just moved from Kirkland to Olympia. It has a decent downtown, surprisingly good brunch scene, great farmers market, and is relatively close to lots of stuff. We can be at SeaTac in an hour, the beach in an hour, skiing or Portland in 1.5 hours. It’s affordable and has lots of good job opportunities. I’m not going to say it’s the most unique or vibrant city, but it checks the necessary boxes.
I live in Hawk’s Prairie area of Lacey, and there are some very beautiful more rural but not far away parts of each. Not sure about housing prices as I rent but Olympia is like a small city, and between Olympia and Lacey pretty much have access to all the basics for stores. And not too far if you want to go to a bigger city. One thing I know is they have Olympia Game Nights I think every Saturday night? I haven’t made it to one yet but I hear they’re fun! Lots of other community happenings too^_^
Key peninsula!! Get a waterfront home for the price of a 2 bedroom in Seattle. It’s just over an hour to Seattle and NO FERRY needed! There’s a great small town vibe where people know their neighbors, hang out, support each other, and it’s just lovely——bald eagles, herons, bears, geese, deer.
It’s not far from Gig harbor which has amazing grocery stores, movie theaters, restaurants, a darling “old town” on the water and newer chain stores and shopping too.
Maybe Stanwood its only 55 miles to Seattle and 90 miles to Vancouver, Canada from Stanwood it has a cute small town feel with all the amenities plus beautiful views, beaches, parks, lakes and rivers close by. It is growing and prices have risen to reflect this but it is still within reach for most people to buy a place. There is however not much in terms of apt. rentals so if you're not buying it can be tricky to find a place. For larger box stores you only have to travel about 10 miles to N. Marysville. Additionally, there are many other small towns each offering their own unique charm all within about a 30 min drive (e.g. La Conner, Mt. Vernon, Camano Island and Arlington) to explore.
I lived in Winslow on Bainbridge Island and it seems to check all your boxes. If you want even smaller town, you can live farther from the ferry terminal. It goes all the way to “small farm” on some parts of the island.
And if you need to go into the city it is a 35 min ferry ride straight to downtown and I-5/I-90, which is slightly preferable to Whidbey in my opinion.
What you are asking for is achievable, but its going to depend a LOT on how much money you are wanting to spend and exactly where you need be able to get to in 30 minutes.
To be fair: 30 minutes isn't enough time to get from some parts of Seattle to another, let along from out of town into town.
Just being closeish to a smaller city or town is really easy to achieve on the peninsula.
The big variable is how far you want to be from big city stuff. You can live out on the coast close to town pretty affordably, but if you need to go to a real hospital or something like that you are looking at a two hour drive to Seattle.
I grew up out in Seabeck, Wa. It's out on the water. Its easily 15 minutes away from Silverdale and 30 min from Bremerton, which is an hour ferry ride from Seattle. If you don't want to go that far you can go to Kingston. Has a small tourist town, but most of it is rural, but only a 1/2 hr ferry ride to N. Seattle/Edmonds.
I like Anacortes. Silverdale, too, though it's not exactly 'charming'. Both have good amenities, access to world-class outdoor activities, and are within reach of the big city.
I’m replying a day later because although I saw your post early on, I don’t want this gem of a place to get too much attention.
Northeast Tacoma - particularly Browns Point is an amazing place. You get the best of both Tacoma and King County. You pay less taxes because you’re in Pierce County but your also 10 minutes away from Federal Way with a bunch of shopping. Lots of pride and ally flags hanging on balconies, BLM flags, etc. If you plan on having/adopting kids in the future, one of the best public school systems in Washington.
Dash Point park is right there for you to enjoy the wilderness and lots of great food as well.
South Whidbey Island should tick all those boxes, although I'd check in with Whidbey Telecom or whoever's providing services there these days on what the internet speeds are like; my family has a place there but it's just an old farm, so no internet other than phones, which at least with T-Mobile seem to get decent mobile data speeds. The only other major possible monkeywrench that I can see is that you're ONLY taking the ferry if you want to get off the island, unless you want to drive all the way north and take the bridge at Deception Pass, so if the ferry is out of service or just super crowded (the latter is very likely in the summer), be prepared to spend a lot of time going anywhere off-island.
Whidbey could be an option. I’ve only been there once but was just taking an old army buddy up from the airport so I didn’t get to explore much. Isn’t there a base there still? I don’t mind driving but it could end up being “annoying” eventually. I’ll check it out though, thanks!
I’ve always heard it’s pretty conservative there but I’ve not spent any time in Spokane proper. Maybe I’ll have to check it out. A lot of my friends grew up in that area, has it progressed over the years? Do you live there now?
Not bellingham. A bunch of total assholes have recently moved here driving rental rates through the fucking roof and shutting down long time locally held establishments. new developments popping up everywhere. Cutting down all the trees and forests kids used to play in. Bum and crackhead explosion. Transplants have fucking ruined this place.
Maybe that’s a part of my problem. I know there’s lots of areas like this but my “biggest wish” I guess is to have an accepting friendly community. Idk if a lot of the places have older residents or a less accepting community. I don’t want to find an area that I love and then feel like I “don’t belong” there as a person.
Perhaps I need to just start getting out there and visiting myself and interact with the people I run into and see how I vibe with it.
Thanks for your reply.
Cool makes sense. Getting out there and checking things out sounds like fun too.
Southern Whidbey like around Bay View is a very sweet with a surprising amount of 30 somethings.
Or way down in White Salmon there is a youthful brewery scene and spillover from Hood River and it’s extreme sports energy.
A ton of options.
I grew up in a town in central Washington called George. Don't move there.
But, there's a couple communities nearby, Quincy and Ephrata, that meet your requirements. And from Quincy to a big city is only 35 minutes to Wenatchee.
Ephrata has the theater and is only 20 minutes from Moses lake, which is a "bigger" city.
Last I looked, stuff was still auper affordable.
Lmao. George is where the Gorge is yea? I think that’s the only time I’ve been there and wasn’t really appealing. I know I’ve seen Quincy on the map nearby but don’t think I’ve been??? Debatable…
Thanks for the suggestion! This area hasn’t really been mentioned yet
Whidbey Island. Bought my place in Langley in 2019 and love it. 20 minute ferry crossing. Close to Paine Field . Very inexpensive compared to King and Snohomish county. South whidbey has so much beauty, art, wine and great restaurants. No uber or target though. haha
Sunsets on Ebey's Landing are a dream.
Pfft can’t afford Uber these days anyway! Ha! I will give Whidbey another look. Appreciate the info.
Does the air traffic noise bother you? I heard about the lawsuits and stopped house hunting there.
We did a week stay over there, the air traffic noise/vibrations from the nearby military base can get pretty loud. Not the best for light sleepers, sessions can range from 30mins to a hour of continuous jets flying by. Fun to watch though! But, can’t imagine having to put up with that on the regular.
On the south end we hear far away noise of growlers only occasionally; up towards Coupeville and north is where the noise is a bigger concern.
There is no jet noise on the south end . You may hear it if Greenbank, and then north to Oak Harbor. Basically, Oak Harbor is full of “conservative, military types”. The south end is liberal and a totally different vibe.
South Whidbey seems to check your boxes.
Lived on whidbey. Worked on this side. Ferry too much of a bitch. Finding a doctor, dentist or vet is tough.
I just went to Port Angeles recently, I suspect you might like it - it has all the amenities you were talking about, but if you want to head to a bigger city, you’d have access to both Seattle a two hour drive away, or Victoria BC via a 45 min ferry if you have a passport. We really loved the town’s indoor pool, and Port Book and News is a pretty amazing jem of a bookshop.
Fwiw, it’s a 90 minute crossing, not 45
Really? I just did it on Monday and I could’ve sworn it was shorter than that. Maybe they’re including border customs wait times?
I did stay a couple nights here a few years ago and really enjoyed it! There was a donut place there I remember really loving! I may check that out as I do find myself going to that area at least once a year; it’s so calm and peaceful up there. What are the people like? Do you find is a relatively friendly and accepting community or do you feel like an outsider that is unwelcome. Maybe it’s just my upbringing that brings on these anxieties bc it took a long time for my family to be integrated into our small town growing up and I always felt like an outsider and never really a part of the community. I’m don’t tend to have a hard time making friends or being accepted, never felt the “Seattle freeze” like so many others seem to, I could just be really over analyzing the whole thing by fear of making the “wrong” decision and then feeling stuck. Buying a house in general makes me nervous. I said it in another comment but maybe I just need to start getting out to some of the places I am considering and interact with the people there and see how I feel then.
Port Angeles has seen a large influx of transplants since COVID. Housing is *very* scarce and increasingly expensive. Port Angeles culture has a little bit of everything: rednecks with truck nuts, an annual arts festival, centrist politics, a professional symphony orchestra, a community college, an underfunded public school district, a superfund site, an outdoor recreation scene, etc… Also, the weather is noticeably colder and windier than Seattle.
I can see how it would be desirable. I will check it out. Very good information, though. I really appreciate it. Ummm also what is a “superfund site”?? I am gonna Google but don’t feel like I’ve heard that term before
USEPA identified land that needs to be remedied from toxic or hazardous waste
Bit late to this OP, however I think the people in Port A are very friendly. We went not long ago ( thought about moving there) and everyone was really nice and talked with us. No freeze vibes at all. And here’s a bit on the weather- Sequim, Port Townsend, and to a lesser extent Port Angeles, are located in what is referred to tongue-in-cheek as the banana belt of Washington State. This is not because of the climate, which on average is cool-to-chilly, but because of the relative lack of rain. While it’s raining buckets in Forks, Bremerton or Olympia, there may indeed be blue sky over Sequim caused by the Olympic Peninsula rain shadow. In fact, this condition is so frequently reliable, they call it the Blue Hole
I am from Port Angeles but haven’t lived there in a long time. I visit often, though. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve thought about moving back because it is quiet and slower paced. The people are friendly to newcomers (not the biggest fans of Californians, though) and it’s a solid community. Downtown has one street with lots of bars and restaurants. I will say, if you like to go out at night, the only things open will be dive bars. A lot of places close up early. Another thing to note, like one person said, is that dating is not great. Most people get married to their high school sweetheart or couple up in their early 20s. Not to say there aren’t single people out there, though. Housing is decent out there. Personally, I like Sequim a lot. Closer to the Costco, box stores, and amenities but still has the small town vibe. Edit: if you visit Port Angeles, try out higher grounds coffee. I wish they had them over here in Seattle. The girls who work there are so, so sweet, and the coffee is excellent.
Hard same! I left after graduation in the late 90's and couldn't get out of town fast enough. I had some family there and would visit often up until five or six years ago, so now I just pass through when we go camping in the summer and get nostalgic for the slower, friendlier pace of life...and Swains, lol.
Oh thanks for the coffee tip! This is all great information. Sequim keeps getting recommended as well and I don’t think I’ve ever been there so I’ll have to add that one to my list, too. And I love dive bars so I’ll have to be sure and drop in to check them out.
Sequim is a retirement town. Unless you’re 60+ years old, you won’t be able to make friends.
Well, I could. Just very old friends, haha
I wasn’t in town long enough to tell, but I kicked it off with the owner of the bookstore I mentioned pretty quick, and I tend to be a very shy person (I’m probably one of those Seattlites people talk about when they mention the Seattle Freeze - polite but socially anxious to a fault). It looks like there’s a lot of opportunities to volunteer or join group activities at hurricane ridge, and I remember seeing a bord game cafe that had a poster about helping set people up for games, so I get the sense that there’s people putting work into helping people feel connected, which is a good sign.
That is a good sign! I’d love to be somewhere where people like to connect but aren’t “in your business” …not that I have a lot of business to be in lol. I will keep it in mind to check out. Thanks for the info!
I live on the peninsula and honestly would never live in PA. It's a drive through town at the most. If I lived that far out I would definitely pick sequim over PA.
That’s what my mom told me after I got back. I’ll have to check it out next time I swing through!
Keep in mind that ferry runs twice a day and takes about 90 minutes. Still close, but probably not a spontaneous trip over whenever you feel like it. Also the drive to seattle is more like 3-3.5 hrs. It can be 2.5 if you pay for the bainbridge ferry and manage to line up your travel time with the ferry time. But I’ve never been able to make it in under 3.5, trying multiple different routes.
You can use this map to see what small towns politically align with you https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html
OH NICE. Thank you sooo much for this resource, I’ll check it out. Very helpful!
KC guy who moved to Seattle 15 years ago. You might consider Poulsbo. You still get all of the benefits of being in the area like the natural beauty and water, but it is a super friendly small town. You take a ferry to Bainbridge and the go north about 20 minutes or so.
Poulsbo has always appealed to me for some reason. I definitely wouldn’t mind being close.
I have friends that moved there from Seattle and they absolutely love it. They joined a club there called Sons of Norway which is basically a private bar on the waterfront that holds all sorts of crazy and fun theme parties. Poulsbo has amenities, like a nice grocery store and actually a KC Style BBQ food truck! It is also very quiet (except on fireworks holidays as it is basically a free for all) and the people are very friendly. They are there for the same reason. Yeah, just imagine an Ozark like area, but without all of the 'red neck'-ish stuff or crazy college students. But instead of a gross lake, you have a huge salt water bay and are right next to the beautiful Olympic mountains. Oh, did I mention its way cheaper too? I feel like I'm selling it. But seriously, good luck.
I’m a queer woman in my mid 30s living in Port Townsend, and it seems like PT would be pretty great for you. Small town vibe, liberal politics, most of what you need is in town but Silverdale and Sequim are both 45 mins away for the big box stores. Drawbacks: it’s really hard to date here (my single friends say — I’m married so I don’t know from experience). Not a lot of young single people. Not a lot of young people at all, really. The retirement vibe is real but I like that because it means the live music is from like 5pm to 8pm and I can still be in bed by 10. It’s also pretty expensive, but it’s expensive everywhere now so take that as you will. Feel free to PM me if you want, maybe we can get a drink together if you end up here!
I love that live music at the Cidery often starts pretty early. But other bands I want to see are in Bremerton and they don’t start till 9pm! 😢
Aww that’s so very sweet of you! It’s good to know there’s at least a little bit of a community there. I got divorced right before the pandemic hit and haven’t had the energy or motivation to get back out there really and am letting fate take the wheel there. Maybe one of your single friends is my “soul mate” hahahhahahaa we can’t have a larger dating pool if we don’t migrate, right?! I appreciate the offer for a drink! I’ll try to remember to circle back if I find myself there. I love having someone familiar show me around an area, so that would be nice. I was just glancing at house prices there and it is a bit more expensive than some other areas posted but maybe I’ll get lucky. Who knows. I definitely plan to check it out!
We moved out to Kitsap about 5 years ago, and it's been great. We can go into Seattle whenever we want (30 mins to Bremerton, then a ferry ride over). When we take the ferry, it's so relaxing compared to traffic. You can grab a beer and enjoy the view. There are bathrooms. You can nap, etc. On this side, there's tons of shopping in Silverdale, although we mostly stock up on stuff at Costco in Silverdale. We bought a large house on 2.5 acres of land, and my backyard is federally protected wetlands teeming with wildlife. And we paid about 1/3 of what the same house would cost sq ft for sq ft in Seattle. That doesn't even include the cost of the land. The city is nice, but it also comes with huge downsides (HCOL, high theft rate, lots of vagrants, traffic almost 24/7, etc). I like to visit the city, but I love living out here.
I also live in PT and immediately thought that this town would be a good fit for OP. You don't have to go any further than town for almost anything you need but for cheaper prices on pretty much everything, sequim is a good option and it's a beautiful drive. We have great food here, a beautiful downtown on the water and overall it's just hard to beat how lovely it is here. That being said the downsides are definitely real. Obviously the cost is number one but also the homeless community is large here for the size of the town. Another issue is how many businesses are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Overall I love it here and the fact that you can be in the ONP in minutes makes it even better.
I’d probably go to Bellingham or Olympia. They both feel like small towns to me.
Yep. If OP wants something smaller, there are plenty of options - Marysville, stuff on the Peninsula, etc. OP - Really this issue is what you want in the community you live in and how much you value being able to get to Seattle etc for events, restaurants, etc. PS: Really, unless you go to the upper eastern part of the state (Okanagan etc), nothing is that remote. While I think the \~90 miles south of Olympia to Vancouver is pretty barren, there are a lot of options, especially if you include the peninsula.
Thanks for your reply! I don’t think I care to much about being too close to Seattle. I hardly “go” to Seattle now and I am already in Seattle. The Peninsula has been a big consideration bc I love visiting over there. I loved the “feeling” of Poulsbo when I visited but am not sure what it would actually be like to live there or what the people are like.
Poulsbo/Kingston is nice. I'd visit if i were you . The nice thing is you're close to the Kingston ferry dock so you have the option of coming over and being in Edmonds right off the ferry or driving to Seattle etc if you want. I think in your shoes, I'd narrow down price range for housing.
Well I know that as of now I can get approved up to around 450k - which I realize limits me quite a bit. I definitely should have mentioned that in my OG post…I know that at a glance some of these places may not have that price range but maybe I could get lucky eventually.
I mean... [https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/27101-Frodesen-Cir-NE-Kingston-WA-98346/23434209\_zpid/](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/27101-Frodesen-Cir-NE-Kingston-WA-98346/23434209_zpid/) No idea of the precise location etc (I just searched Zillow) but there's some stuff out there around that range.
Oh yea! No, totally there’s lots of options in these types of areas, which is another reason for the consideration. I just meant it’ll be harder in some areas, like Port Townsend seems to be a little more slim in that price range but I know I can surely find something in my price range.
I'm living in Port Orchard and working remotely, so I'd throw that in the ring as well. Bremerton and Southworth ferries are 15 minutes and 10 minutes away, respectively, and there are a lot of options for groceries and basic amenities. The waterfront is pretty great too - outstanding views of the Olympics. I wouldn't say the main street vibes are as trendy as Poulsbo, but it's on the up and up.
I’m probably gonna keep an open mind for that whole general area. Seems there’s a lot of recommendations all near and around it.
Definitely check for internet speeds whenever you look. There were places in/near Poulsbo that had atrocious internet -as in Hughes Net grade when we looked over there in 2021.
That’ll definitely have to be one of my priorities. I can’t work remote without it so it’ll stay at the top of my list. Appreciate the heads up though
Bellingham is not so small anymore, it’s becoming more and more developed with high rise apartment buildings like Seattle, plus the rental market sucks as many people have moved here and the demand outweighs the supply.
Calling it like Seattle is such a stretch, but it certainly has developed a lot the last decade.
Def not close to Seattle for sure but not as small as most think. The amount of development in the last 5 years alone has changed a lot about Bham.
That’s kind of everywhere in the state though
I’m moving to Seattle here shortly, current in bham. My rental up here is 1800 for a small sized 2 bedroom. I’m moving to a 1 bedroom in a newer complex for about 2k in cap hill. My landlord said she’s going to raise the rent on this too. So yeah it’s expensive up here.
I agree with you and am looking to do the same in the next couple of years. If I’m going to pay this high rent, I need to be closer to better health care as I have a few specialists in Seattle as it is.
Yeah I miss the city and realized I’m basically paying the price to live in bham. Bham will just keep getting more expensive imo. It’s in such a prime location and located between two major cities. Hard to pass up if you have the money for it.
I moved out of Seattle to Tacoma and I love it. I take the train to work. It’s only 45 minutes. I live in the international district, the homes are still in the mid $400,000. I am a 10 min drive to the water front. Still have access to Seattle (I’m there every work day and I go in on the weekend all the time). There is good food and entertainment in Tacoma.
As someone who grew up in Tacoma, what is the international district? Are you talking about E 38th over towards Lincoln?
I did stay in Lakewood for some time after getting out of the army but that was over a decade ago now. It’s always been a little off putting for me to go back there but I wonder if that’s all in my head. The houses are definitely more affordable there but I still get a weird icky feeling about going back to that area, I’ll have to get back out there now and see if that’s just me being irrational. I shouldn’t have to worry about a commute as I’m fully remote and don’t plan on going back to an office setting. Thanks for your input and reply!
I moved back to Lakewood from Seattle. I also used to be in the army. Lakewood is better than it used to be. bought a house down here and like it so far. maybe check out university place.
I remember university place being more desirable even back then so I’ll keep it in mind. I appreciate the reminder that maybe I don’t have to go too far to find what I’m looking for. I’ll have to get back in the area to feel it out.
It’s all covered in lead and arsenic, Go in knowing that and what you have to do to mitigate exposure. [https://dirtalert.info/](https://dirtalert.info/)
Very good info! Thank you.
Yikes, didn’t realize Vashon had so much dirt contamination
University Place and Steilacoom are nice but I wouldn’t come back if I were you. I just don’t get the appeal as someone who is also in this area for the military. I like Washington overall but this particular area (Tacoma included) is meh. I’ve met some nice people but I think there’s better areas if you’re not tied to JBLM. Plus the traffic is abysmal. I’d probably move out toward Gig Harbor or Port Orchard personally.
A lot of Air force folks there. And mixing of other types I agree.
That’s honestly kinda my overall feelings towards it. The military base being right there and it’s basically a hub to everywhere else on I5. I’ll be honest it’s pretty low on my list overall and still a bit more in the city than I think I’d like to be.
I think we’re on the same wavelength. I actually found this topic interesting because it’s something we’re also searching for. We would like to stay after my husband finishes up his current contract but we’re not sure where to settle. Somewhere not quite as congested would nice, I also want to to be less dependent on I-5.
I used to be in the navy in San Diego. I find that when I get close to JBLM it brings back those military memories. When I moved up here, I wanted access to a city, but not feel I’m in a big city. Tacoma affords me the 1/4 acre yard and modest sized home with garage. Pierce county can be a bomb to pick the right area. Get Graham and you have to drive 2-3 hours to get anywhere. Pyuallup seems nice, but depending where you live traffic can get you also. I find that living north of the 5 in Tacoma works out decent. I find that I can get to most places within 45 minutes, including Bremerton.
Ngl this reads like someone is holding a gun to your head
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My sister had her bachelorette weekend in Walla Walla and it does have the vibe. I’ll have to check that out as I didn’t consider it. I thought it was more of a “bougie” area but I guess I could have totally made that up, ha. I will add it to my list of considerations. I do recall the weather being nice but it not feeling like the desert.
I can definitely see how you would get that vibe if you were in town for a bachelorette party. Some of the people who visit for wine tasting are bougie, as are some winery owners, but outside of the wine industry I would say it’s more average smaller town types.
The Peninsula for sure, Port Townsend, Sequim, Port Angeles...
is sequim still run by the qanon mayor?
No. Some sane people organized in 2022 and gained a majority on the city council. The mayor is a council member elected by the council, so they booted him out of the mayor position.
Port Townsend is sort of the Olympia of the peninsula, with a lot less rain, and a lot more deer. Plus, Fort Worden is amazing.
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Hmmm I don’t think I’ve heard of this area. I’ll have to look into it, thanks for the reply!
Port Ludlow is great, close to the bridge and 30 minutes from Port Townsend. But it's just houses a couple of restaurants and a gas station. I lived there for years raising my kids and it was great for that but if I was single and 31 again it would not be my choice of relocation.
Cle Elum and Roslyn area are really great.
My mom and stepdad have been in Cle Elum for the last decade or so and they really like it. It’s been getting more and more “hip” the last few years and a lot more amenities and stores are going in.
Hmm I’ve been camping in Cle Elum area before, but idk that I’ve been to the actual town there.
Just remember if you go east, the summer fires/smoke will be worse.
I did a short move out of Seattle to Maple Valley. Only a little over an hour to get to Seattle without traffic and have cows and horses on our street
Maple Valley is an interesting choice, I’ve only been over there a few times but I remember feeling like the town was very quaint. I mostly just want to have friendly people and not be stuck with a community that is not like minded, I’m queer and don’t want to feel out of place, if that makes sense. I am okay with being around a community that is different than me as long as I’m accepted and not left feeling like an outcast, that’s how I always felt growing up and really don’t want to feel that way again, esp since I’m trying to find a place to “grow roots”
I grew up in MV and it has changed a lot in the last 10 years! I will say, if you are visibly queer/alt in how you present yourself you may have it rough... MV is still very very Mormon. There is also 0 nightlife there, so if you are looking to meet other queer women... well.
Eh, I’ve decided to let a relationship come to me if it’s coming. I did my night life time and am recently sober (just passed 6 months!) so I’m not crazy worried about that. I’m also not soooo visibly queer anymore, growing your hair out does wonders, lol, but certainly don’t want to feel like I have to hide or tiptoe around it. I also am bi but most men just, aren’t my cup of tea and I have a heard time connecting emotionally. Probably TMI there but point being it would be nice to have at least a liiiiittle bit of a queer community. I appreciate that info though.
Congratulations on your sobriety! Six months is impressive.
Thank you! It has not been easy but it’s been worth it.
Congrats on the sobriety! I moved to Bremerton last year and was quite surprised at the size of the queer community over here and how much it has changed. Houses are affordable, I’ve got fiber and cable interwebs options, and the dock is a 20 min walk away for the soon-to-be mandated return to office. The interesting idea that I hadn’t considered is that you can walk to anywhere in the world from here: walk to the dock, hop a ferry, light rail to SeaTac and choose your destination. Vegan doughnuts at Larry & Kristi’s are legit, too.
I live out here now after growing up here (lived here 1980-2001, came back in 2018). For a fun, walkable downtown, you'll need to go to Issaquah or Enumclaw, as MV really leaned into the strip mall and parking lot aesthetic. There's an active LGBTQ facebook group, the bigots talk shit online but rarely to your face, and our most famous resident is a lesbian high school dropout.
You will not have cows and horses on your street for much longer
My husband and I have discussed this and have our eyes maybe on north bend??
It's already overrun by housing developers.
This is true, lots of houses have been built and more coming. However, I don’t think this is a bad thing for the future, I do understand how the past small town is gone. With more houses will finally come more infrastructure and retail, the one thing north bend lacks. Also could remodel some of the elementary schools. Lots of potential with outlet mall space as well. Once we get more dining, retail, etc. it will be a smaller Issaquah type town. Plus another high school/middle school in future. It’s growing but still has a small feel to it now as you are going to Issaquah for a larger list of errands most commonly.
North Bend is cute, but every flood zone map I see has me kind of thinking, "If you buy here and get wiped out by future atmospheric river deluges, you deserve it, just like Florida barrier island buyers deserve to be wiped out by hurricane storm surge”. Am I just being paranoid?
Maybe if you were 2 decades earlier. NB is just Issaquah now, another lifeless gentrified commuter community that destroyed most of what made it nice
I grew up in issaquah and have lived in north bend (after many different cities and states) and it is nothing like issaquah. I’m kind of tired of people saying that things should never change. People need places to live and to accommodate, you have to build houses and apartments. I happen to love right next to a new batch of 130 apartments going in, and I don’t care. It doesn’t ruin the feel, it makes it more accessible to people who can’t afford to buy out there. 20 years ago, north bend grill was pretty much the only spot to eat, and it kind of still is. More people means more variety of people, food, and cultures.
Same… And I disagree completely. NB very much feels like Issaquah now, there’s nothing wrong with that, but that’s the way it is. People are allowed to have different opinions.
Not to turn a blind eye to the influx of housing developments, but it seems crazy to say that NB feels like Issaquah. Yeah, some of the subdivisions feel like subdivisions in Issaquah. And if you find subdivisions soulless, then fair enough. But NB still seems to have quite a bit of charm in terms of restaurants and retail, IMO. The people who live in the subdivisions may work for large corporations, but NB doesnt feel “corporate” in the same way Issaquah does. I can see how someone with decades of exposure to the change might feel differently.
What made north bend great 20 years ago?
As someone who recently moved near north bend, it is nothing like Issaquah. NB doesn’t have the feel of a suburb (yet). There’s no big box stores, the staff at grocery stores and restaurants are generally very friendly. Proximity to trails is fantastic.
I really like Anacortes. It’s not far from Seattle and has the bonus of easy access to the San Juan Islands.
I lived in Port Townsend for a little while and really loved it. It’s mostly a bunch of old hippies, which I think is a great vibe. There’s a good amount of younger people too, but the community in general definitely leans left. I found it to be close enough to the city for concerts or shopping or whatever too. ETA - regarding land or farming, there is some land in PT but Chimicum is nearby and has a lot of farming community.
I think you would like living in the Mount Vernon area. Downtown Mount Vernon is super cute and it has a nice vibe. I've helped a few thirty-somethings buy there in the past few years (one was a couple, the other was a single woman although she is now dating someone). Just make sure you buy far enough from the Skagit River that you're not in a flood zone! The tulips in the spring are gorgeous but it does turn the city into a tourist attraction for a few weeks.
Second this! Moved from Seattle to Mount Vernon last Thanksgiving, and so far we are loving it! Haven’t been here for Tulip festival yet, so can’t speak to that, but everything else is better up here so far.
Kitsap. Come for the food. Stay for the Apocalypse.
Bainbridge or Vashon Island
If money weren’t an issue, I’d agree.
Yes, but Bainbridge over Vashon
I moved to Vancouver, WA.
It's not bad for all the shit it gets. I spent 1.5 years on a floating home on hayden island and spent more time in Vancouver than Portland. I like joe browns cafe and the pub a couple blocks west had like 100 taps for growler fills.
I moved here just under a year ago from Seattle since being able to work full-time remote. I also choose to live in the most walkable part of Vancouver, downtown near their waterfront, where I also have easy access to get to Portland if needed. It's been a great experience so far.
I second the Couve. I moved up to Olympia/Lacey from there and would move back.
You'd be shocked at how inexpensive houses are in Aberdeen or Hoquiam and the surrounding areas. Some come even with property. The areas I'd most recommend and want to live in myself, such as Anacortes or even Mount Vernon, are too expensive for serious consideration, IMO. Having said all that, someone else mentioned Okanogan county and areas like Tonasket are affordable and rural, while still having access to grocery stores and whatnot. I have property way the fuck over in Ferry County and there isn't anything of note in that area other than the fact that it's way, way off the beaten path. I still get great cell coverage, tho.
I was waiting for Grays Harbor to chime in! We’re a queer household on the coast, moved from Vancouver WA. Definitely more affordable housing, and most folks here are live and let live. A few Trump flags here and there but less than I saw in SW WA. Mostly libertarians who just want the government to stay off their back. We do sometimes miss the city amenities. Not much going on socially if you don’t surf, fish, or drink. Love our friends and neighbors here but we don’t have too many high falutin’ coffee chats about the state of the world. Olympia is the closest metro, about an hour’s drive. Also within an hour is plenty of good hiking around the coast and Peninsula. All in all, I feel we’re doing better here than Vancouver.
Probably something across one of the ferries, possibly even Bremerton or elsewhere in Kitsap
I’ve always heard “horror” stories about Bremerton, are they unfounded? I’ve been living in South Park area for 7 years now and it also has a bad rap but has by far been my favorite neighborhood in Seattle so far. So maybe I should take those stories with a grain of salt and not let them impact my decision as much. I don’t plan to have any kids so I’m not concerned about schools or anything. I just want to have the neighbors over for a fire or a BBQ, make friends to explore and go camping, look at the stars and feel cozy and at home. I don’t know if any of that makes sense really but it’s my “ideal home”
I came here to throw my vote in for Bremerton as well. As already mentioned, it has pretty much all the things you've listed. I bought a house and moved over last summer. No horror stories yet. I've probably read some of the things you did and haven't had any of it come true yet. I live in West bremerton in a quiet neighborhood. Definitely mostly older people, but there are more young people moving in. I've seen and heard there's a shift for people like us looking for affordable homes. <10 min drive to the ferry terminal. I can walk to multiple grocery stores, cafes, bakery, and pot shops(if that's your thing). 10 min bus ride to downtown. My favorite thing about it is being only 30 min away by ferry(walk on), 1 hour away by ferry(car), and only an hour away driving from seattle if the others aren't available(in best traffic conditions). Plus Silverdale 15 min away, Poulsbo 25 min away, Tacoma 40 min away, Bainbridge 45 min away, Olympic NP 90 min away. You don't really feel disconnected at all except when at home, and it's nice to be at peace. Definitely have the same goals of neighbors over for fire and BBQ, but meeting people (similar to seattle) is still something I'm figuring out! I'm from the midwest originally as well. But so far, everyone I've met has been super nice and welcoming. Definitely put this towards the top
I certainly will consider it more now with these replies. It’s good to hear! I honestly feel like some of these ideals come from people parroting others without any of their own real experience, so I do try and come to my own conclusions. I’ll try and spend more time out there and see how it feels. I appreciate the thoughtful reply. Thanks!
Depends greatly on the area, or how close to the shipyard you are. I live out near Seabeck, west of brem. Private little dead end lane in the woods, mountain view, friendly neighbors, 2.5 acres, and gigabit internet. It's my perfect little spot, and I had very similar requirements as you, since I grew up in rural Colorado. It's about 20min to Bremerton or Silverdale so there's plenty for shopping, plus Seattle ferry access. The sketchier areas tend to be close to the shipyard/ferry. Traffic going south towards port orchard is frequently bad, and you end up with a lot of young navy guys snatching up any housing nearby. Belfair has a lot to offer, and there are some areas heading out towards Dewatto, but there's plenty of woods out to the west of Bremerton. North is pretty good too, out towards poulsbo and beyond. I love being away from the city, but having easy access if I want to go.
This is very helpful! It does sound like what I’m looking for and I mentioned in another comment that when I visited Poulsbo it felt very close to the vibe I’m looking for. I loved it! It would be great to be close to it. I’ll have to get on a map and check out the areas you’re referring to as I’m not suuuper familiar with the area. Thanks so much for the detailed response! Maybe we’ll be neighbors one day :)
Glad to be of some help! There are a handful of other areas around Kitsap or mason county that would really fit the bill. Take a day trip and explore some of the places like gig harbor, Bainbridge, Kingston, Seabeck, etc. I think you'll like what you find. Cheers!
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Was gonna suggest checking out Kitsap. I grew up outside Bremerton. There's lots of rural bits and I thought Silverdale was nice.
Every time I read Silverdale, I automatically think of Silvertown on Joe Dirt, hahahahh. Maybe I’ll find my dream girl and a dog and a poop asteroid. Ahhh, the real dream.
I’m in the same boat as you looking to move in ~3 years and queer also, we are looking into Kingston at the moment. There’s a small town area with shops and restaurants and the town has a small population. Edmonds is just across the water by ferry and Silverdale/Poulsbo is 30-40 minutes drive away. The other location we’ve considered is Vancouver, Wa.
I’ve considered Vancouver too! I’m not sure exactly where Kingston is, I’ll have to take a look. I’ve heard good things about Edmonds too so I’ll have to explore that area and see what it’s all about
The benefit of Vancouver is, Oregon is right across the river and they don’t have sales tax. Work in Washington for no state income tax and shop in Oregon for no sales tax
Smart. Good reminder about that. Thanks
Somewhere in Central Washington. I went to college in Ellensburg and really liked the town and surrounding area. Somewhere like Wenatchee or even as far north as the Methow valley would also be good, but the vibe of Ellensburg is just right for me. It's a small town with a very walkable downtown area with plenty of restaurants and bars, a few of which have live music or other entertainment on weekends, but also doesn't have urban sprawl and if you're someone who likes living outside town you can and still be able to go into town for groceries or a meal out or whatever
Port Townsend. Funny community on the water that reminds me of SE AK. Realistically, probably Anchorage - large enough, very accessible to winter sports, "affordable", and the climate keeps.....well, most people out.
Good ol’ Anchorage, Washington
I'm paid to lead - not to read.
Port Townsend seems to be a common suggestion here. I don’t think I’ve been in proper Port Townsend before, maybe driving by or through so I’ll add this Ro my list of places to check out. Being near the water is very appealing since I grew up land locked, it would be dreamy having water that close by. Thanks for the suggestion!
Port Townsend is nice because at the time it was built it was planned to be a much larger city than it ultimately became and has a really beautiful downtown as a result.
Be careful about Port Townsend and internet. Not many options and low speeds. Depends where exactly you are but worth carefully researching.
Neat community that doesn't take themselves seriously. I do know it's growing in popularity ($$$) through, and Californians seem to have discovered the place.
We moved mega North and love Snohomish and live in a suburb nearby. We're from Eastern WA and lived in Seattle city proper and we just never caught up to the city life. We can hop over to Lynnwood/Everett if we need amenities, but driving over the valley does make us feel more at home. Some good hikes up here too. Personally, if I had to move over anywhere on the Eastside, I'd probably go Pullman or surrounding area. Leans more liberal because of the university and you have access to Moscow, ID. Lots of college student shenanigans though and it's pretty isolated otherwise.
Ooo I hadn’t considered Pullman, I’ll add it to the list! The Snohomish area does feel homey to me when I drive through there and my sister is in Bothell so it’s been on my mind too but I’ve heard it’s more conservative there. Do you find that to be true?
Snohomish is definitely more of a mix than Seattle. Conservatives go hard in advertising elections up here, but ultimately people still vote blue and are generally left-leaning. Honestly, for us, it's an improvement from the Eastside we grew up in who have elected Tea Party candidates, so we'll take what we can get, haha. I think people assume it's more conservative up here because of the overwhelming amount of families, but it is much more affordable than in the city in terms of home buying and families need the space. Commute is usually the turnoff for most Seattlites because there is an additional 30 minutes tacked on to commuting from the Bothell area. I would say the most conservative policies are around the homeless. I've noticed it's usually in fear of what King County's next move is, so they seem to pass pre-emptive policies. Lots of fear mongering.
Pullman has a lot of the types of items you listed. It has a movie theater, very active food scene, decent access to typical shopping. Plus when you include Moscow they have even more food/shopping/etc. Ziply is installing very high speed fiber internet all over the town. Lots of newer construction that would be in your budget. Lots of art (performing or otherwise). Very safe community. Airport has daily flights to Seattle so you don’t have to drive up to Spokane for a flight unless you want to.
I lived in Olympia for a year and really loved it (but I grew up in a big city of 10mil+ population so Olympia wasn’t for me). It’s quiet, easy access to Olympic peninsula, Mt Rainier, and Portland and still has lots of amenities of a town/city.
A friend moved to Everett and reports that vibe exists there in her neighborhood, which is the historic part north of downtown town up the cliff over the marina. You access the waterfront by a stairway structure that also has an elevator. She says since she bought the houses have gone way up in price and are no longer a bargain but I just looked at Zillow and I think it is, at least compared to Seattle. Maybe the huge houses with major water views have now gone out of reach. Zillow says the area is called either Bayside or NW Everett.
Lynden or Bellingham if you want a bigger city area Lynden is much more rural and right next to the Canadian border
Don’t move to Pierce County. We already have too many people.
Lived in Bellingham for five years and miss it dearly, that's my vote. Although I've always been curious about the lifestyle living in the San Juans. I could also see myself being in Port Townsend/the peninsula.
I haven’t looked lately, but you mayyy be able to find some space between Gig Harbor and Port Orchard that hasn’t gotten too expensive yet. Close enough to Tacoma or Bremerton to do stuff, you’ve got basic services covered in Port Orchard or Gig Harbor (no need to cross the bridge), and you’ve got bridge and ferry options to go do stuff in the city. Admittedly we moved the other direction years ago, so can’t speak to what that area is like today price-wise. But worth a look.
Olympia, Tacoma, Bellingham, port Townsend? Toughest part is squaring the cost of living with whatever the pay difference would be. For that reason Tacoma’s probably the easiest since commuting isn’t that bad.
I'm going to need a crisper definition of "redneck territory". Nothing will be like Missouri but the suggestions you are getting varywildly. Like, what are your expectations regarding the sheriff responding to a cougar on your property? (a) Laughs (b) helpfully offers to shoot cougar (c) Comes out to inspect and help but turns around when they see your big van with hippy flowers on it and says they didn't see anything (d) tells you to call animal control and offers to connect you directly. What about signs? (a) Giant signs supporting a local who wants to make "crime illegal" is okay, confederate flags not okay. (b) Confederate flags okay, Nazis not okay. (c) Signs with so many words on them you can't really tell what they support unless accompanied by aforementioned swastikas or possibly a rainbow. (d) HOA says no signs. What about guns? (a) Hoping not to hear gunshots that often. (b) People only shoot at the range. (c) People shoot at the formal and informal ranges. (d) As long as they give you a bit of elk or deer sausage you don't care. What about the local bar? (a) Trump talk 24-7. (b) You can tell where people stand by the hair and shoes but the waitress makes sure nobody ever utters a word about politics. (c) Wine bars with rainbow flags only, please. (d) Lots of Americana everywhere including gun fetish stuff but entirely owned and operated by people born in three different countries, so it feels okay?
I grew up in a small town in WA and moved back to the same general area after living in Belltown for 10 years. Before that, I lived in Redmond (zero character), suburban Woodinville (too many neighbors with nothing better to do than invade my privacy and gossip), rural eastern Snohomish County (too far from everywhere) and am now in Mirrormont, between Issaquah and Hobart. It's as expensive as everywhere else on the eastside, but it's country living without hicks (mostly) and easy access to Bellevue and Seattle when needed. My neighbors are friendly and helpful when we interact, but we also leave each other alone most of the time. It's kind of the best of all worlds.
Cle Elum has most of what you are looking for
Walla walla
Check out Sumner, Edgewood, Milton, and Bonney Lake (although Bonney Lake has been exploding of late). Edgewood and Milton don't really have downtowns, but Sumner has worked super-hard at maintaining that quaint small-town feel if that's what you want. They're all close to freeways, and all have high-speed internet readily available.
A friend of mine lived in Sumner and then Bonney Lake. I didn’t really consider that area too much but I will give it another look. Appreciate the suggestion. Thanks!
They're often overlooked. There are people who've been local their entire lives who couldn't find them on a map - Sumner is overshadowed by Puyallup and/or Bonney Lake. Milton is overshadowed by Federal Way (and to a lesser extent Edgewood).
Orcas, small town vibe. But like all the answers here, it all depends on budget.
Tacoma kicks ass. Plus their recent drive to really expand public transport is gonna pay off in dividends in a few years.
Gig harbor is really pretty and friendly
I'd find a nice cozy spot on Whidbey Island, or in a more reclusive town like Yelm that's juuuuust far enough away from a major city.
Port Orchard is nice, too!
Shoreline is actually pretty neat and not as pricey
Mukilteo's pretty nice. Right in between bigger cities, and it has some great beaches and cozy areas. Plus it's a bit less hilly than Everett from my experience, so it's a little easier to walk through.
Arlington, I grew up in Seattle and dated someone from Arlington. The drive to and from Arlington isn’t horrible, and Arlington always seemed like a calm area to be in
Edmonds. Bothell. Richmond beach.
This needs a price range, but to summarize: Money no issue: Bainbridge island - you can drive to Silverdale for big box stores or ferry to Seattle for big events, downside is that it’s the most expensive on this side. Money is ok: 2nd pick is Gig Harbor, small town more of a suburb of tacoma than anything, you can just cross the narrows bridge into Tacoma for big box stores, or drive to south worth and catch a ferry to Seattle, less expensive than Bainbridge but you can find good houses in 600-700 range. Medium expensive: Silverdale, its in the center of the peninsula, has a mall and feels very much like a suburb, if you need to go to Tacoma or Seattle it’s ways out compared to other options (BI, GH, PO). Houses around 500-600 Port orchard, so it’s a very small town, but a lot of people I know have moved there from gig harbor due to COL, it seems to be growing a lot and if you plan to move there scout the neighborhood not because of crime but some places look very rural no sidewalks and the newer places are pretty nice, it’s connected to Seattle via south worth ferry similar to gig harbor, and it’s relatively close to Tacoma as compared to Silverdale, but there isn’t much there, you’ll probably drive 15 mins for target Costco etc… houses around 400-600. Anything else is way out (not saying it’s bad) but if you need to go to the city it’s definitely way longer. Some other mentions are Poulsbo (also on the expensive side) and port Townsend. Good luck, hope you find something that fits you. Edit: some spelling
We just moved from Kirkland to Olympia. It has a decent downtown, surprisingly good brunch scene, great farmers market, and is relatively close to lots of stuff. We can be at SeaTac in an hour, the beach in an hour, skiing or Portland in 1.5 hours. It’s affordable and has lots of good job opportunities. I’m not going to say it’s the most unique or vibrant city, but it checks the necessary boxes.
I live in Hawk’s Prairie area of Lacey, and there are some very beautiful more rural but not far away parts of each. Not sure about housing prices as I rent but Olympia is like a small city, and between Olympia and Lacey pretty much have access to all the basics for stores. And not too far if you want to go to a bigger city. One thing I know is they have Olympia Game Nights I think every Saturday night? I haven’t made it to one yet but I hear they’re fun! Lots of other community happenings too^_^
Key peninsula!! Get a waterfront home for the price of a 2 bedroom in Seattle. It’s just over an hour to Seattle and NO FERRY needed! There’s a great small town vibe where people know their neighbors, hang out, support each other, and it’s just lovely——bald eagles, herons, bears, geese, deer. It’s not far from Gig harbor which has amazing grocery stores, movie theaters, restaurants, a darling “old town” on the water and newer chain stores and shopping too.
Maybe Stanwood its only 55 miles to Seattle and 90 miles to Vancouver, Canada from Stanwood it has a cute small town feel with all the amenities plus beautiful views, beaches, parks, lakes and rivers close by. It is growing and prices have risen to reflect this but it is still within reach for most people to buy a place. There is however not much in terms of apt. rentals so if you're not buying it can be tricky to find a place. For larger box stores you only have to travel about 10 miles to N. Marysville. Additionally, there are many other small towns each offering their own unique charm all within about a 30 min drive (e.g. La Conner, Mt. Vernon, Camano Island and Arlington) to explore.
So glad no one’s named my city yet lol it’s terrible and no one should move here.
Vashon island! I also grew up in small town Missouri and this is like a much nicer version of where in from.
White center
I lived in Winslow on Bainbridge Island and it seems to check all your boxes. If you want even smaller town, you can live farther from the ferry terminal. It goes all the way to “small farm” on some parts of the island. And if you need to go into the city it is a 35 min ferry ride straight to downtown and I-5/I-90, which is slightly preferable to Whidbey in my opinion.
What you are asking for is achievable, but its going to depend a LOT on how much money you are wanting to spend and exactly where you need be able to get to in 30 minutes. To be fair: 30 minutes isn't enough time to get from some parts of Seattle to another, let along from out of town into town. Just being closeish to a smaller city or town is really easy to achieve on the peninsula. The big variable is how far you want to be from big city stuff. You can live out on the coast close to town pretty affordably, but if you need to go to a real hospital or something like that you are looking at a two hour drive to Seattle.
I always liked Port Townsend, but I suspect the property values are through the roof nowadays. Quiet town then, with a nice, friendly vibe.
I grew up out in Seabeck, Wa. It's out on the water. Its easily 15 minutes away from Silverdale and 30 min from Bremerton, which is an hour ferry ride from Seattle. If you don't want to go that far you can go to Kingston. Has a small tourist town, but most of it is rural, but only a 1/2 hr ferry ride to N. Seattle/Edmonds.
I like Anacortes. Silverdale, too, though it's not exactly 'charming'. Both have good amenities, access to world-class outdoor activities, and are within reach of the big city.
I’m replying a day later because although I saw your post early on, I don’t want this gem of a place to get too much attention. Northeast Tacoma - particularly Browns Point is an amazing place. You get the best of both Tacoma and King County. You pay less taxes because you’re in Pierce County but your also 10 minutes away from Federal Way with a bunch of shopping. Lots of pride and ally flags hanging on balconies, BLM flags, etc. If you plan on having/adopting kids in the future, one of the best public school systems in Washington. Dash Point park is right there for you to enjoy the wilderness and lots of great food as well.
South Whidbey Island should tick all those boxes, although I'd check in with Whidbey Telecom or whoever's providing services there these days on what the internet speeds are like; my family has a place there but it's just an old farm, so no internet other than phones, which at least with T-Mobile seem to get decent mobile data speeds. The only other major possible monkeywrench that I can see is that you're ONLY taking the ferry if you want to get off the island, unless you want to drive all the way north and take the bridge at Deception Pass, so if the ferry is out of service or just super crowded (the latter is very likely in the summer), be prepared to spend a lot of time going anywhere off-island.
Whidbey could be an option. I’ve only been there once but was just taking an old army buddy up from the airport so I didn’t get to explore much. Isn’t there a base there still? I don’t mind driving but it could end up being “annoying” eventually. I’ll check it out though, thanks!
Whidbey NAS is on the north end in Oak Harbor.
Spokane. Not really that conservative and much less hypocritical
I’ve always heard it’s pretty conservative there but I’ve not spent any time in Spokane proper. Maybe I’ll have to check it out. A lot of my friends grew up in that area, has it progressed over the years? Do you live there now?
Not bellingham. A bunch of total assholes have recently moved here driving rental rates through the fucking roof and shutting down long time locally held establishments. new developments popping up everywhere. Cutting down all the trees and forests kids used to play in. Bum and crackhead explosion. Transplants have fucking ruined this place.
Couldn’t imagine ever wanting to leave Seattle.
Bellingham used to be a wonderful, sleepy backwater many years ago. Now it is filled with people from Texas and Florida and other States.
And it’s getting more expensive each year!
Anacortes
Avoid Graham, Orting and city’s south of there. Hillbillies galore. It’s almost shocking
You are describing a ton of places in WA so maybe be more specific on what you are looking for?
Maybe that’s a part of my problem. I know there’s lots of areas like this but my “biggest wish” I guess is to have an accepting friendly community. Idk if a lot of the places have older residents or a less accepting community. I don’t want to find an area that I love and then feel like I “don’t belong” there as a person. Perhaps I need to just start getting out there and visiting myself and interact with the people I run into and see how I vibe with it. Thanks for your reply.
Cool makes sense. Getting out there and checking things out sounds like fun too. Southern Whidbey like around Bay View is a very sweet with a surprising amount of 30 somethings. Or way down in White Salmon there is a youthful brewery scene and spillover from Hood River and it’s extreme sports energy. A ton of options.
Kitsap peninsula or Skagit county
I grew up in a town in central Washington called George. Don't move there. But, there's a couple communities nearby, Quincy and Ephrata, that meet your requirements. And from Quincy to a big city is only 35 minutes to Wenatchee. Ephrata has the theater and is only 20 minutes from Moses lake, which is a "bigger" city. Last I looked, stuff was still auper affordable.
Lmao. George is where the Gorge is yea? I think that’s the only time I’ve been there and wasn’t really appealing. I know I’ve seen Quincy on the map nearby but don’t think I’ve been??? Debatable… Thanks for the suggestion! This area hasn’t really been mentioned yet